In Class Simulation July Crisis
EU1101E In-class Simulation - The July Crisis 1914
URGENT - JULY CRISIS TELEGRAM
Europe on brink of war
Immediate Conference of Great Powers to Convene
On 26 July 1914
Brussels, Belgium
On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated while visiting Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina by Serbian nationalists. The Austrian government blamed Serbia for harboring terrorists and sent the Serbian government an ultimatum that Serbia rejected. This set into motion a series of communications across the European alliance networks. During the month of July, European heads of state debated whether to engage in war for a variety of reasons including the need to quell domestic discontent, the need to obtain long sought after goals such as colonies, and the feeling that European tensions would eventually lead. By the end of July all of Europe was poised on the edge of war.
The telegram above is a call to you to convene and possibly avoid war. Up until July 1914, various conflicts had flared up and then been put out via Great Power negotiations. In this exercise, we will see if the onset of WWI might have been averted. We will host a fictitious July Crisis Conference in Belgium on 26 July 1914. Pay attention to dates! There has already been an exchange of telegrams between Austria-Hungary and Serbia but no official declaration of war.
Each tutorial group will be divided into five “country teams,” corresponding to leading actors in the July Crisis: the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the German Empire, the Russian Empire, the United Kingdom, and France.
Schedule for Simulation:
Tutorial 1, Week 3: Choose groups
Tutorial 4, Week 11: Submit group country report and prepare conference agenda
Tutorial 5, Week 13: July Crisis Conference
By Monday, 17 November 2014, 8 pm, submit group self-assessment to tutorial instructor
Components of Simulation Grade:
Group country report: 30% (Further instructions below)
Conference Participation
URGENT - JULY CRISIS TELEGRAM
Europe on brink of war
Immediate Conference of Great Powers to Convene
On 26 July 1914
Brussels, Belgium
On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated while visiting Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina by Serbian nationalists. The Austrian government blamed Serbia for harboring terrorists and sent the Serbian government an ultimatum that Serbia rejected. This set into motion a series of communications across the European alliance networks. During the month of July, European heads of state debated whether to engage in war for a variety of reasons including the need to quell domestic discontent, the need to obtain long sought after goals such as colonies, and the feeling that European tensions would eventually lead. By the end of July all of Europe was poised on the edge of war.
The telegram above is a call to you to convene and possibly avoid war. Up until July 1914, various conflicts had flared up and then been put out via Great Power negotiations. In this exercise, we will see if the onset of WWI might have been averted. We will host a fictitious July Crisis Conference in Belgium on 26 July 1914. Pay attention to dates! There has already been an exchange of telegrams between Austria-Hungary and Serbia but no official declaration of war.
Each tutorial group will be divided into five “country teams,” corresponding to leading actors in the July Crisis: the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the German Empire, the Russian Empire, the United Kingdom, and France.
Schedule for Simulation:
Tutorial 1, Week 3: Choose groups
Tutorial 4, Week 11: Submit group country report and prepare conference agenda
Tutorial 5, Week 13: July Crisis Conference
By Monday, 17 November 2014, 8 pm, submit group self-assessment to tutorial instructor
Components of Simulation Grade:
Group country report: 30% (Further instructions below)
Conference Participation